How to Build an Underground Bunker of Your Own

Maybe you are holding off as you think it is expensive, or too hard to build?

If these statements sound familiar, read on. Building an underground bunker is probably one of the smartest investments you will make, along with your survival food supply. It will keep your family, and you safe during many kinds of disaster, for example nuclear war, hurricanes, influenza pandemic outbreaks and possibly even terrorist attacks.

It’s more doable than you think…

How to Build an Underground Bunker

Will all the dangers that we face in todays world – social and global unrest, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, you can never be too sure of your safety. If you are complement, you may be jeopardising your families safety.

You should be aiming to protect them at all costs, and if that means building an underground bunker, then get cracking, and build one! Checkout the guide below on how to build an underground bunker.

Underground Bunker Plan

Every smart prepper knows that you need a plan, and when building an underground bunker, this is no exception. Before you start digging, it is best to check with the local authorities to make sure you have authorisation to build an underground bunker, after all, you don’t want to build a kick ass bunker, then be told you have to remove it.

Next off, you need to find a spot where you want to build your bunker. You need to know some basics about the land. What types of soil are you digging into? Are there any underground power lines? Water lines? Gas lines? Consider speaking with a professional for some advice before going ahead with the digging, then the rest can be done by yourself.

Next off, you are going to want to draw up plans for your new underground bunker. These plans need to include sizes of what you intend to build, how many rooms the underground bunker will have, what size these rooms will be, how you will remove waste water, the thickness of the interior and exterior walls and roof, heights and so on. You can use GoogleSketchup to draw plans, it’s free!

Remember to include in your plans how you intend to run power, air vents, water pipes, waste pipes and so on.

Start Digging

Once you have all the legal requirements sorted out, and all the information and materials you need to build an underground shelter, it’s time to get digging! You can take two approaches to this, grab a shovel and pick and start doing some hard manual labour, or hire in a mini digger and have the hole dug out in a few days. A mini digger isn’t hard to drive, there are two joy sticks which control the boom/bucket, and two levers which make you move back and forward. I like the sound of option two, work smart, not hard, that’s my thought on the whole thing!

Building the Structure

This isn’t actually as hard as it may sound. You can build the structure of your underground shelter by yourself using materials like concrete, wood and steel, or else buy a shipping container, and bury it in the ground. Personally, option two is the easier option, and just as good. Keep in mind though, that some people advise against using a shipping container, as they say they are not meant to be buried underground, or lived in, but, there are many people who have build stunning homes from shipping containers, so why not?

If you are going to go the route of building with your own materials, you need to do plenty of research and make sure the materials you use will hold up to moisture over time. Untreated wood, for example, will decompose and rot easily. Using concrete is a better way to do it, and has the strength to withstand stronger forces, and is more cost-effective in the long run.

Create Entrances

When building an underground bunker, accessibility is key. Ideally, you want to be able to get to your underground shelter pretty quickly, you can build a passage from you home to your bunker, which would be especially good when SHTF. You can make use of scaffolding poles to support the passages, but using these to support ceilings in you bunker is not a good idea. Pillars constructed of brick or block is a better alternative for supporting the ceiling.

Safety is Key!

To ensure your safety, you need to take necessary precautions when building an underground shelter. Severe weather is a serious problem when it comes to building an underground shelter. Check the weekly forecast before you get started. You want to make sure it is going to be dry when building your bunker, as you do not want the hole to fill up with rain water. Once you have the initial hole dug, you should cover it with a waterproof tarp. You will need to repeat this as the building process goes on to ensure your bunker stays dry.

Water, Air and Electricity

No underground bunker is complete without the survival features you need to live. When building your own underground bunker, you need to make sure you have access to a clean supply of air, water, and also a supply of electricity to run lighting and other electrical devices. You should keep this in mind when building up the interior of you underground shelter.

You could make use of a rain water collection system to deliver fresh water to your underground shelter, and then filter and purify the water once you have it piped inside your bunker. Ventilation is another important aspect of a fully functional survival bunker. You should find a ventilation system that meets all your needs, and you underground bunker is flawless when SHTF.